Controlled feeding of broiler breeder flocks during the egg laying period is necessary to ensure that the birds are maintained at a body weight that provides optimum egg production, fertility and hatchability. Continuous unrestrained feeding of birds may result in excessive, unhealthy weight gains for the birds, resulting in damage to the feet and legs and reproductive dysfunction. Because the feeding requirements for optimum body weight control are different for male and female birds, the birds should be fed separately, on different feed schedules.
Presently, three methods are employed to accomplish sex-separate feeding in broiler-breeder flocks. Males generally have slightly wider heads (.gtoreq.43 mm) than do females (.gtoreq.20 mm). Since the eyes are located on the side of the head, the male is irritated when he inserts his head into a female only grill (FOG), which has a horizontal spacing between the vertical bars of 41-43 mm. Because some male broiler breeder lines have narrow heads (.ltoreq.41 mm), a horizontal bar can be placed across the top of the FOG to create a vertical space of 60-70 mm. This eliminates many males from the feeder because the head of the typical male is considerably longer in the vertical dimension than the head of the typical female.
Non-dubbed males are easily excluded by FOG grills with horizontal bars. Females are excluded from male feeders by raising the male feeder height while leaving the female feeder, equipped with a FOG, low. A problem with this approach is that females are often observed to jump and reach into a male feeder successfully. As a result, females may take in more than, and males may take in less than, their optimum allocation of feed. Presently, there is no means available to exclude females from male feeders as effectively as males can be excluded from female feeders.
In view of the foregoing, an object of the present invention is to provide a means for excluding female birds from a male poultry feeder.
A second object of the present invention is to provide a male-only poultry feeder that does not unduly hinder or constrain the male birds themselves from feeding.
A third object of the present invention is to provide a male-only poultry feeder that can be conveniently adapted to existing poultry feeding equipment.